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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Nonlethal Force" data-source="post: 2928376" data-attributes="member: 35788">Charis slowly raised herself up from being doubled over in sickness.  “Maybe I just need to find something to eat.  I don’t know why, but I have this sudden urge for peanuts and milk.”Semeion and Ischarus looked to each other with a disapproving look upon their faces.  Semeion mouthed the words “Peanuts and Milk?” to Ischarus without offering any sound.  Still, they could find nobody who seemed to be interested in their situation.  There was nobody that seemed desiring to take advantage of Charis’ sudden ill feeling.Ischarus looked to Semeion, yet spoke to Charis.  “Perhaps the problem isn’t external, Charis.  Nobody seems interested in what is happening here.”Rhema looked at Charis with a bit of concern when she started to ask for a strange combination of food.  Her thoughts had already been interrupted by Ischarus and now they were interrupted by Semeion.  “I’ve never heard of reading magic making one sick, although I’ve not known one like yourself who gets their magical power from a draconic or even heavenly source as part of their lineage.  All of my understanding of magic and arcane writing comes from associations with intense study.”Charis looked up at Semeion, not appreciative of his matter-of fact analysis of their current situation.  “I doubt that my powers are at fault here, Semeion.  I’ve never been sick through using them before.Rhema slightly smiled at Charis and tried to ease her pain.  “Is there any possibility that before we met you …”Rhema’s voice trailed off into nothingness.  The thought was too much to even say.  If she was right, she was certainly not prepared for the consequences.  She wasn’t sure that Ischarus – and especially Semeion – would be prepared for the consequences as well.  The fact that her sickness appeared while reading a magic rune led her thoughts in a disturbing way.  Charis turned her head to Rhema as she still knelt on all fours upon the ground.  “Before we met what, Rhema?”Rhema shook her head slowly from side to side.  She could tell from the way Charis turned her head slowly and spoke softly that she was still physically in distress.  Her guess was that Charis’ head was still swimming.  “Do you think that you are able to stand, Charis?  I know that this is an odd situation and took you by surprise, but if we can get you back onto your feet and walking about perhaps your head might clear and your powers of healing might return to you.  If your powers of healing return, I’m sure you could resolve whatever is wrong within you peaceably for your sake.”Rhema had chosen her words wisely.  She still debated internally as to the source of Charis’ distress, but she did not want to overtly explain her thoughts.  She had never been around a natural healer such as Charis, but she assumed that whatever was wrong with her could not be caused by a natural healer using her own powers on herself.Charis removed her hand and arm from around her waist and held it out so as to grip Rhema’s palm.  Charis gripped Rhema’s hand and Rhema stiffened her arm so as to help Charis off of the ground.  Rhema knew she was the weaker of the women, but she was unprepared for Charis’ firm grip.  Her face winced in pain as Charis gripped too tightly.  Although now in shared pain, the two women rose to their feet slowly.  Rhema helped Charis take a few steps; and Charis’ head began to clear as Rhema had earlier predicted.  The cobwebs of sickness that had been slowing down her mind began to vanish as her blood flow returned to normal with the exercise.After a few steps Charis stopped moving and flexed her fingers several times.  A slight smile came across her face as she could feel a renewed energy welling up inside of her.  Her head turned a quarter turn to the left in the direction of Rhema.  “I think I am ready to try and heal myself now.”Her right hand glowed with a slight yellowish glow and Charis placed her palm upon her abdomen.  A smile broke across her face as her pain subsided.  In a matter of seconds she had completely recovered from the pain as if she had never felt it.   She continued to speak once she had given her powers a moment to work.  “Well, then.  I suppose there is a benefit to being a natural healer.  I never need feel the effects of an illness besides the initial cramping and discomfort!”Semeion was pleased to see the smile return to Charis’ beautifully shaped face.  He couldn’t help but smile in return, although his voice spoke with a cautious hesitation.  “So, do you still feel like having peanuts and milk?”Charis looked back to Semeion and replied, “Of course.  Peanuts and milk both sound good.  But I’m not sure that I’d like them together.  Milk will settle my stomach if there is indeed something wrong; and the salt of the peanut sounds good after our morning walk from Huetown.”Semeion turned toward Ischarus and gestured in relief.  Ischarus added to the conversation, “I suppose I could go for some market peanuts, especially if they have been slow roasted over an open fire for a few hours.”The party headed along the wall back toward the main road leading into Lord Ironblood’s primary city of Fingerdale.  There were a number of people headed into the city; in fact there were many more headed in that coming out.  This was not odd or unusual for the morning hour of the day.  Even with their journey from Fingerdale the morning was only now coming to an end and the merchants would still have a significant amount of selling to accomplish.As they approached the front gate, Charis saw the massive wooden gates for the first time.  The gates opened inward and were reinforced by heavy metal bands along the vertical and horizontal.  Each beam within each gate began and ended in a metal cap.  Huge metal chains hung from the inside corners; apparently these were the chains that provided the necessary force to open the massive doors.  Above the top of the gateway was a single tower.  Scrawled across the face of tower was a long word written in the same magical language as the words written upon the stones of the wall.Semeion looked up and began to speak.  “The word means …”Charis interrupted him before he could give away any of the magical secrets.  “Hush!  My newfound ability to read this language should still be accessible.”  She looked up and began to focus upon the word.  Suddenly she lurched one step forward and collapsed flat onto the ground.  This time she had passed out completely, although she seemed to be in no immediate danger.Semeion and Ischarus immediately took up defensive positions.  Rhema crouched down once more, only to discover that Charis was unable to respond.  In a stroke of what seemed like brilliance, Ischarus began to yell.  The three companions had found themselves in the midst of a significant flow of travelers.  Fortunately, although they were surrounded neither Ischarus nor Semeion felt the need to draw weapons once Ischarus began to yell.  “Unclean!  Plague!  Be warned and stay back!”[Sblock=Color Free Speech Section]Charis slowly raised herself up from being doubled over in sickness. “Maybe I just need to find something to eat. I don’t know why, but I have this sudden urge for peanuts and milk.”Semeion and Ischarus looked to each other with a disapproving look upon their faces. Semeion mouthed the words “Peanuts and Milk?” to Ischarus without offering any sound. Still, they could find nobody who seemed to be interested in their situation. There was nobody that seemed desiring to take advantage of Charis’ sudden ill feeling.Ischarus looked to Semeion, yet spoke to Charis. “Perhaps the problem isn’t external, Charis. Nobody seems interested in what is happening here.”Rhema looked at Charis with a bit of concern when she started to ask for a strange combination of food. Her thoughts had already been interrupted by Ischarus and now they were interrupted by Semeion. “I’ve never heard of reading magic making one sick, although I’ve not known one like yourself who gets their magical power from a draconic or even heavenly source as part of their lineage. All of my understanding of magic and arcane writing comes from associations with intense study.”Charis looked up at Semeion, not appreciative of his matter-of fact analysis of their current situation. “I doubt that my powers are at fault here, Semeion. I’ve never been sick through using them before.Rhema slightly smiled at Charis and tried to ease her pain. “Is there any possibility that before we met you …”Rhema’s voice trailed off into nothingness. The thought was too much to even say. If she was right, she was certainly not prepared for the consequences. She wasn’t sure that Ischarus – and especially Semeion – would be prepared for the consequences as well. The fact that her sickness appeared while reading a magic rune led her thoughts in a disturbing way. Charis turned her head to Rhema as she still knelt on all fours upon the ground. “Before we met what, Rhema?”Rhema shook her head slowly from side to side. She could tell from the way Charis turned her head slowly and spoke softly that she was still physically in distress. Her guess was that Charis’ head was still swimming. “Do you think that you are able to stand, Charis? I know that this is an odd situation and took you by surprise, but if we can get you back onto your feet and walking about perhaps your head might clear and your powers of healing might return to you. If your powers of healing return, I’m sure you could resolve whatever is wrong within you peaceably for your sake.”Rhema had chosen her words wisely. She still debated internally as to the source of Charis’ distress, but she did not want to overtly explain her thoughts. She had never been around a natural healer such as Charis, but she assumed that whatever was wrong with her could not be caused by a natural healer using her own powers on herself.Charis removed her hand and arm from around her waist and held it out so as to grip Rhema’s palm. Charis gripped Rhema’s hand and Rhema stiffened her arm so as to help Charis off of the ground. Rhema knew she was the weaker of the women, but she was unprepared for Charis’ firm grip. Her face winced in pain as Charis gripped too tightly. Although now in shared pain, the two women rose to their feet slowly. Rhema helped Charis take a few steps; and Charis’ head began to clear as Rhema had earlier predicted. The cobwebs of sickness that had been slowing down her mind began to vanish as her blood flow returned to normal with the exercise.After a few steps Charis stopped moving and flexed her fingers several times. A slight smile came across her face as she could feel a renewed energy welling up inside of her. Her head turned a quarter turn to the left in the direction of Rhema. “I think I am ready to try and heal myself now.”Her right hand glowed with a slight yellowish glow and Charis placed her palm upon her abdomen. A smile broke across her face as her pain subsided. In a matter of seconds she had completely recovered from the pain as if she had never felt it. She continued to speak once she had given her powers a moment to work. “Well, then. I suppose there is a benefit to being a natural healer. I never need feel the effects of an illness besides the initial cramping and discomfort!”Semeion was pleased to see the smile return to Charis’ beautifully shaped face. He couldn’t help but smile in return, although his voice spoke with a cautious hesitation. “So, do you still feel like having peanuts and milk?”Charis looked back to Semeion and replied, “Of course. Peanuts and milk both sound good. But I’m not sure that I’d like them together. Milk will settle my stomach if there is indeed something wrong; and the salt of the peanut sounds good after our morning walk from Huetown.”Semeion turned toward Ischarus and gestured in relief. Ischarus added to the conversation, “I suppose I could go for some market peanuts, especially if they have been slow roasted over an open fire for a few hours.”The party headed along the wall back toward the main road leading into Lord Ironblood’s primary city of Fingerdale. There were a number of people headed into the city; in fact there were many more headed in that coming out. This was not odd or unusual for the morning hour of the day. Even with their journey from Fingerdale the morning was only now coming to an end and the merchants would still have a significant amount of selling to accomplish.As they approached the front gate, Charis saw the massive wooden gates for the first time. The gates opened inward and were reinforced by heavy metal bands along the vertical and horizontal. Each beam within each gate began and ended in a metal cap. Huge metal chains hung from the inside corners; apparently these were the chains that provided the necessary force to open the massive doors. Above the top of the gateway was a single tower. Scrawled across the face of tower was a long word written in the same magical language as the words written upon the stones of the wall.Semeion looked up and began to speak. “The word means …”Charis interrupted him before he could give away any of the magical secrets. “Hush! My newfound ability to read this language should still be accessible.” She looked up and began to focus upon the word. Suddenly she lurched one step forward and collapsed flat onto the ground. This time she had passed out completely, although she seemed to be in no immediate danger.Semeion and Ischarus immediately took up defensive positions. Rhema crouched down once more, only to discover that Charis was unable to respond. In a stroke of what seemed like brilliance, Ischarus began to yell. The three companions had found themselves in the midst of a significant flow of travelers. Fortunately, although they were surrounded neither Ischarus nor Semeion felt the need to draw weapons once Ischarus began to yell. “Unclean! Plague! Be warned and stay back!”[/Sblock]</blockquote>

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